Harrison Ailshie, MVP in the 2024 3A State Championship Series.

 

Staff report

GRANITE QUARRY— Tuesday’s rainout wasn’t necessarily bad news for East Rowan’s baseball team.

The makeup date has been set for Wednesday at 7 p.m.

East ace Harrison Ailshie, a junior lefty committed to UNC, has nine wins and a microscopic ERA of 0.70. He pitched most of Friday’s 2-1 squeaker against Carson, reaching the single-game pitch count limit of 105 in the seventh inning.

By NCHSAA rule, Ailshie was required to rest four calendar days before he could return to the mound — that was Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday — so while he couldn’t have hurled  Tuesday, he is at least an option to pitch for the Mustangs Wednesday when Lake Norman Charter visits Staton Field for a third-round game in the 3A state playoffs.

East is the No. 1 seed in the 3A West bracket.

East head coach Brett Hatley may hand the southpaw the ball one more time. If he goes in a different direction, the other options aren’t bad — right-handers Mason Phelps and Brady Ailshie, Harrison’s freshman brother.

Harrison Ailshie was a rare 10/10 high school player in 2024 — 10 wins, 10 homers. This year he has nine wins and launched his sixth homer just in time to turn things around against Carson last week. The Mustangs (24-5) trailed 1-0 in the seventh when the slugger connected.

East doesn’t boast a lineup as scary at the one it had last season when Cobb Hightower was breaking records for runs scored and McCall Henderson was breaking records for runs batted in for a 3A championship team. Also gone are Logan Dyer, Braden Shive, Nate Hayworth and Joe Burleyson, who got on base in a continuous merry-go-round.

But East still has Harrison Ailshie, and things have fallen into place pretty well around that lethal lefty bat in the 2 hole.

He’s not a solo act. Krys Hernandez, Sam Blackwelder and Hunter Goodman also played on the biggest high school stage last season, and experience counts, especially at this time of year.

Hernandez, the catcher, is batting .436. The Mustangs also have found new guys such as Zeke Stewart, who gets on base a phenomenal 54 percent of the time.

Lake Norman Charter is an unusual opponent for the third round. The Knights, who are seeded 25th in a bracket that began with 32 teams, own a modest 13-10 record. They finished fourth in a spirited South Piedmont Conference race that ended with East and West Rowan tied for first. Carson was third.

Lake Norman Charter charged out of the gate like Secretariat this season, beating West Rowan and Carson right away, but struggled some down the stretch and finished with a 9-7 conference record.

East already has beaten Lake Norman Charter three times: 11-6 on the road, 7-6 in Granite Quarry with a late comeback, and 7-1, with relative ease, at Carson in the semifinals of the SPC Tournament.

But it’s tough to beat a good team three times, so it’s really a lot to ask to beat them a fourth time. East will have to do that to advance.

Lake Norman Charter has some power. The Knights have homered in both playoff games. Jesus Acuna hit one in a 3-0 win against Hibriten in the first round. Janson Kane socked one out of the park in a 9-4 win at West Henderson in the second round.

The Knights have at least three capable pitchers in Braden Wilkie, Trevor Cook and David Wignot, and they normally share the load. Cook and Wilkie split the shutout of Hibriten.